How to change colour of jpgs 1

[Treb]

I appreciate that this is a simple question for most folk but this is the first time I have had to do it.

I am using PSP7 with Windows XP Pro and need to change two jpgs (a logo and some text, both in black on white), and to be able to make minor adjustments to the colour if not quite right first time.

Your kind help would be greatly appreciated! (Treb)

 

[mThomas]

While your questiion might seem simple, the answer can be quite complex. There are a lot of possible ways to do what you want, though I am not certain I understand what you want to do.

You can use the magic wand to make selections and then apply some of the color filters. You can select the text, cut the text and paste the selection as a layer. Then you can apply filters or manipulate the text as you like.

It's been a while since I used PSP7, though Jasc Software included 10 of my tutorials in the Anniverary Edition which was part of the PSP7 release, so you think I would remember more about it

Most of the functions in PSP7 are still being used, so if you can give me a better idea of what you want to do, I can try and give you some more precise advise.

Mike Thomas

 

[Treb]

Many thanks for replying to my query. In order to break it down to the basics this is what I am trying to do:

I have a black and white logo artwork, which I have scanned, but I want to be able to print it in a RGB colour. I would also like to be able to change this RGB colour in the future, when necessary.

Although I use PSP7 a great deal certain aspects of it, including layers, I have found impossible to teach myself. Any procedure that I use to carry out this colour change will also be used by some of my colleagues who understand even less about PSP than I do! (We work as volunteers producing the graphic displays at the Nothe Fort Museum, Weymouth, Dorset, UK (

http://www.nothefort.org.uk),

a very busy tourist attraction in Dorset.

We do have a copy of PSPX4, which we try to use, but find even more difficult. However, we are willing to try this if necessary.

Your help will be very gratefully appreciated.

Treb

 

[mThomas]

Can you post an example of the logo?

Depending on the logo's content, whether the content is all text (like on your home page) or simple geometric shapes, selecting the various elements (text or shapes) with the magic wand using the anti-aliase option, might do the trick. Select an element, cut the element and then paste as a new layer. Do that for all the elements in the logo.

Depending on the gradients, if any, in the elements, you might try the color replacer. If the text and elements have few to no gradients (including anti-aliased edges) you might also try pasting colors into the selections. It might be easier to re-do the logo.

If I can see an example of a logo you want to change the colors in, I might be able to give you a better solution.

I took a look at your site. Nothe Fort which looks like an interesting place to visit.

mike

 

[Treb]

Hi Mike

Many thanks for your reply. I have spent a lot of time trying to attach a copy of the logo to this reply but all to no avail! I have tried every way I know of attaching an image but, I'm sorry, the only way I can show you this logo is to ask you to kindly look again at the Fort website nothefort.org.uk and it is on the Home page, top left corner, in black and white. The official logo of the Fort.

As for colour, the best way I can describe it is to say that, using Microsoft Publisher, the colour we want to use is RGB 0/220/255 - a turquoise colour. But, of course, we do want the ability to change to other colours in the future, if possible.

I am sorry that this is proving to be so difficult but we do appreciate your kind help very much. We would like to see you calling in on us sometime, when you are round this way!

Eric Manton

 

[mThomas]

I took a look at your logo. Unfortunately there isn’t going to be a quick way to accomplish what you want. The issue is the anti-aliased edges. You can use the color replacer and the paint brush to accomplish your goals.

You will need to replace several shades of gray using the replacer, one shade at a time, and then use the paint brush to clean up any errant shades of gray.

You can start by selecting the color replacer and the replacing the solid black pixels with your desired color. Then switch to the paint brush.

Then zoom in on the pixels which did not get replaced. With your color in the foreground materials palette, click on the foreground patch, which will bring up the Material dialog box.

Mouse over the small circle within the square gradient (inside the circular spectrum gradient). Then left click and drag straight down (just a little) until you have a tinted (lighter) version of your color.

Accept that color by clicking ok on the Material dialog box. Next using the paint brush set to 1 pixel, paint over the errant pixels which match the shade of gray you matched with your tinted version of your color. Repeat this process for each shade of gray within the errant pixels which were not replaced when you replaced the solid black.

NOTE: You can also use the color replacer instead of the paint brush.

The process is to replace the solid black first. Then create tints of your color and replace (with the paint brush or color replacer) the various tints of grey within the anti-aliased edges with your tints of the color you are using.

Another way is to recreate the logo using the desired color(s), which would probably be the best way.

Here is a quick example. I did not take the time to replace all the shades in the anti-aliased edges. To make the edges smoother, you would need to replace all the anti-aliased pixels. Be sure to try and match the tone or tint. If the anti-aliased color is darker (a tone) then select a darker tone of your color. Conversely, if the anti-aliased color is lighter (a tint) then select a lighter version of your color.

In this example, I converted the logo to a layer, removed the background and saved the image as a .png.

mike

 

[Treb]

Hi Mike. That's a really exhaustive effort of yours to solve my problem. I never dreamed that what would appear to me to be a simple problem, could be so involved. I am going to have to take a long hard look at your suggestions in order to decide what on earth I am going to do. It might well be producing some new artwork in the true colour, as you suggest.

Learning to understand the program better would obviously be a more sensible idea but my colleagues, who may also need to know how to do this, understand the basics of the program even less than me!

Very many thanks once agai, and I will let you know how I get on.

Eric